Matthias and Illiana
by Thaddius Taddius
Summary: a story of a prince who falls in love with a peasant girl who turns out to be a member of a secret group of outcasts who plan to assassinate the king. sorry this has nothing to do with harry potter but i think you will like it anyways :D
1. Chapter 1

A beautiful white dove sits perched upon a thin tree branch surrounded by a crystal clear spring of water next to a waterfall. The water is so clear it looks like one sky is lying on top of another. The bird shifted ever so gracefully twitching its neck. Then suddenly a fast dark arrow flew in front of the dove barely grazing one of its feathers jolting the dove up into the sky, flapping rapidly into the sun.

A young man stands just below the enormous tree holding a bow and arrow in his hands slowly retracting his grip on the string of his bow. He stares i dissapointment at his escaped prey but shrugs it off and returns his bow around his shoulder. He wipes away a bead of sweat from his forehead, as he notices the mist from the falls cooly kissing the back of his neck. He kneels down over the pond to get a drink and caught a glimpse of his reflection staring back at him. He is tall with light feathery brown hair that varely goes down to his shoulders. He has deep brown eyes, broad shoulders protected by shoulder-bladed armor, and a well cut body. As he filled up his leather canteen with the fresh spring water, he watched a family of ducks glie across the water: all of the little duckling following their mother. He stood up straight and pressed the canteen up to his lips to take a drink. He swallowed as he lowered the jug and screwed the lid back on. He took a last deep breath of fresh air before heading back into the woods.

He calmly walked through the bushes and twigs as they snapped underneath his large brown leather boots. As he passed a large bush he looked down and saw a helpless little chipmunk cornered by a long black snake. The snake curled its head back making an evil hiss as the chipmunk shuddered with fear. The boy drew his sword and quick as a blink made a slash through the air, there was a short pause before the snakes head rolled away. The boy resheathed his sword and smiled at the chipmunk and then turned to proceed onward through the forest. the chipmunk straightened up and hopped over to take a better look at its rescuer. It stared, as he walked away, with a tilted head and curious eyes and tiny paws curled up to its chest. Then the fury little creature quickly leaped after him. As the boy reached the end of the woods he looked up and saw an enormous citadel embeded in white stone. it stood upon an open field of green grass and stretched as far as the eye could see. The chipmunk hurried up to the boys feet and stopped likewise to behold the cities beauty. The boy proceeded forward to the front gates of the citadel where he stood looking up at the battlements of the closed doors. A figure, looking almost like an ant from the distance, peaked over the edge.

"Is That you Matthias?" the figure yelled down the wall in a somewhat sarcastic tone.

"You know it is, Thomas. Now open the gate already," said Matthias.

"Only because you asked so nicely." The man disappeared from the top of the battlement and Matthias heard Thomas yelling at a guard, "Oi, don't just stand there, you heard him, open those gates, chop chop!". Slowly the giant doors were pulled open by giant, rusty, chains of chrome. Matthias couldn't help but smile at Thomas, his best friend since childhood and cousin, who had the wonderful ability to always make him laugh. As the doors swung back they revealed a city of lively people, chattering amongst themselves as they went on with their busy lives. Shopping carts of all sorts surrounded the entrance of the citadel beckoning street goers to choose their products for purchase.

Matthias walked through the dirt covered streets with the chipmunk at his heels. Matthias could see the knights dueling in their armor near the armory, along with the archers who were shooting at haystacks to gain practice. Everywhere that he looked Matthias couldn't help but love his Kingdom of Belleview. From behind him without warning Matthias came up and put Matthias in a headlock.

"Where have you been off too, Cousin?" Thomas asked as he tightened his grip on Matthias.

"Ah, you know," Matthias put his hand up to Thomas' chin pushing him backward and at the same time swept his legs out from under him knocking him to the dirt filled ground, "The usual."

"Yes, your sister, Myrtle, said that you had run away never to return again. And i could hear the trumpet sound at the thought. I said 'Let him go, it can't do us any harm, especially to me anyways.' " Matthias smiled and let his cousin up from the ground. "So where did you go? Another one of those dreamy day walks of yours again?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didnt, but like you were saying it doesn't matter anyways."

"You ought to stop leaving the castle so much, it's not safe you being prince and all."

"Well I enjoy it. And besides what do I care, nothing ever happens around here anyways."

"You ought to care, your father wasn't too happy to find out that you were alone in the woods again. It's full of thiefs and outcasts who can't wait to get there hands on your father, the King. Lucky for you, you've got the best protection from our city guards."

"Well then, what do I have to worry about?" smirked Matthias. Matthias and Thomas continued conversating as they made their way to the great hall where sat his mother and father at the dining table. His eleven year old sister walked by him in a blue gown.

"You're in trouble!" she whisered and taunted him by blowing rasberries at him. He stuck his tongue out at her, and they continued exchanging offensive gestures until the king cleared his throat and they looked up to see their parents glaring at them.

Matthias walked over to them with Thomas whispering in his ear, "_You're in trouble!_" Matthias glared angrily at him, and as they got closer to the table he said, "I think I'll just wait outside." Thomas walked off and left the hall while Matthias cautiously approached the dinner table at which his parents had been feasting on turkey, and stuffing, and steamed vegetables. They had servants at their hands and feet. His father patiently picked up his napkin and dabbed his mouth with it, then gently placed it onto the corner of the table. He let out a deep agitated sigh.

"Father I -"

"Where Were You?" his father demanded.

"I just took a walk," replied Matthias nervously.

"By walk i take it you mean outside of the citadel?"

"I was hunting."

"_Oh_! Hunting you say? And what did you bring back?" the king asked.

Matthias' speech lowered to a mutter, " I ... er... missed."

"After 10 years of sword and archery training I would think it rather hard for you to miss."

At this point Matthias was tripping over his words trying to think of what to say before his mother let out a whale of horror.

"A RAT!" She screamed as she spotted the chipmunk on the dinner table sniffing around the turkey. It stiffened as if instantly petrified before realizing the King was running at it with a carving knife. The little creature darted across the abnormally large table knocking over cups and bowls dodging the chops delivered from the King's knife as the queen continued screaming bloody murder. Her servants tried their best to calm the woman but she was on the verge of a heart attack. The chipmunk leaped from the edge of the table directly onto Matthias' shoulder cowering in fear as it burrowed its head into his neck. The king walked threateningly toward the Prince, his red and orange robes gliding across the marble floor. He pointed the sharp knife at the chipmunk.

"Is this your doing?" He snarled.

"He sort of followed me, I guess, I don't know," Matthias stammered.

"Well take it ouside and kill it! I'll have no rodents creeping around _My_ halls. And as for you: You are seventeen, next year you become of age. You are going to be king, so start acting like one. I will not have my kingdom passed on to a man who can't take care of himself let alone hundreds of other lives!" The King returned to his thronelike chair and threw his napkin back into his lap. Quickly a servant came and adjusted it properly, whilst the rest of them were still pampering the Queen from her state of shock. Matthias made his way outside of the Great Hall. He turned to Thomas who was leaning against one of the columns.

"I'll have to catch up with you later Thomas," said Matthias and continued walking towards the outer wall of the citadel with the chipmunk still cupped between his hands. He reached a fragment of the giant wall and stopped and then he pushed against the white stone on five different bricks. then a secret door opened, the stone grinded against itself making a low rumbling noise. Matthias stepped outside of the walls again and knelt down to the soft grass and gently placed the chipmunk on the ground. The chipmunk turned around to look at him with its soft black eyes. "Go," he whispered. He gave it a soft nudge with his fingertip towards the forest. The chipmunk continued gazing up at the giant who saved its life, and watched him as he stepped back through the walls as they sealed behind him. The little chipmunk sat there for a moment staring up at the great walls of white stone before it retreated back into a bush. It spun around in the dirt making a nest-like bed with its paws. It curled up pulling its tiny little tail in close, its eyes gently grew heavy and began to close, lulling it into a sleep of its own.

Later that night, Matthias lie in his bed staring out his window looking up at the stars, and admiring their beauty. He pushed his quilt down past his toes and slid his feet out of bed and sat up. He rubbed his eyes restlessly and wondered over to his window, pondering on his life, and thinking to himself of what it might be like somewhere else away from all the responsibilities of being a prince. Aways from the stress of it all. He looked down at his city to survey its serenity. He stood there for a moment and then turned back around to return to his bed. He just barely missed the shadow of a figure, gliding through the streets with great stealth disappearing from site as soon as it appeared.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Matthias started his day off as he usually did with a bit of training before breakfast. He sat mounted upon his horse as it galloped down the archery field's thick grass. From the top of his horse, shadow, Matthias pulled out his bow and began firing arrows at his haystack targets hitting them with a perfect bullseye everytime showing excellent marksmanship. Matthias had trained in archery and sword handling ever since he was 7 years old instructed by the city's best swordsman, and also blacksmith, Silos. Silos was a good sized and very well cut man in his late 40's by now, with dark hair that was usually balled up into a ponytail. He stood inside of the barn that sat next to the small grassy plain that took up about a quarter of the citadel's yard, and was accompanied by Thomas. Shadow neighed to a slow and stubborn trot from after being ridden for so long. Matthias entered the barn on his horse and very gently pulled back on Shadow's reigns easing him to a halt. Shadow whined and whirled its majestic black mane around making it flutter in the breeze that had been creeping into the barn. Silos carefully walked up to the horse and held his reigns while he patted him on his nose. The horse let out a rough breath and bobbed its head up and down. Matthias carefully stepped off of his horse and went up to stroke his mane.

"Good boy Shadow."

"I believe the horse needs to rest for a bit," said Silos, "No doubt he's worn out as well as you. Thomas, take the horse to his stable. And you Matthias, you think you've still got enough energy to practice some more?"

"I never tire, just get bored."

"Well let's hope I don't bore you too much," said Silos as he unsheathed his sword.

"Alright but let's make this quick I'm hungry," Matthias pulled out his blade and took his Defensive stance. He and his master circled eachother staying perfectly parallel to eachother. Then suddenly Silos swung his sword first and Matthias blocked his slash and there was a loud clang of steel. The two began to duel and Thomas re-entered the room.

"Gosh, I miss everything. Who is winning?" Thomas asked.

"Dunno," Matthias said as he deflected another chop, "Just started."

"Ah," said Thomas, "Alright then." Thomas just sat back and watched as they kept at it. They began making their way across the barn, Matthias still on the defense. Matthias hopped up on a haystack and jumped over his master's swinging sword.

"You haven't tried to counter me yet," said Silos.

"Yes I Know! Just waiting for the opportune moment." Matthias continued to lay on the defense as his master swung away at him. He jumped from the haystack, overtop of Silos and landed on the wooden floor. He took a stab at Silos which was quickly deflected and followed by a counter stab. Matthias rolled out of the way, avoiding losing his eye and took a chop at his masters knee. Silos blocked it as well and sent a kick to Matthias' ribs. Matthias stumbled back clutching his chest and nearly fell over but was able to maintain his balance. Silos stabbed straight at him and missed Matthias but hit the wall right next to Thomas.

"HEY HEY! WATCH IT!" Thomas yelled rolling out of the way. For the moment Silos' sword was stuck inside the creaky wooden wall of the barn. Matthias took this opportunity to lay a blow right into Silos face causing his lip to bleed. Matthias rose his sword and swung down hard at his master who quickly pulled his sword from the wall and deflected the chop and then stabbed forward toward Matthias' stomach. Matthias turned just in time barely missing the sharp blade. He made a 360 degree spin followed by a slash that brought his sword's tip right to Silos' throat. Matthias looked at his master who had a blade poking his neck.

"Well done," said Silos with a smile, "Well done indeed. You've beaten me." He carefully pushed the blade aside with his fingertips.

"You sound surprised," Matthias grinned.

"Ha ha! No that I shouldn't be should I? I'm getting old. But keep up the practice Matthias. Well I'd say that we are about done for today, Wouldn't you?"

"Unless you feel like going another round," said Matthias.

"No," Silos smiled, "You need to eat, My prince. Go get some breakfast in the Great Hall, and I will see you tomorrow morning bright and early."

"As always," said Thomas walking over to Matthias," Let's go, I'm starving."

Matthias and Thomas left the barn and began walking toward the Great Hall to eat some breakfast.

"I thought he had you there for a minute," said Thomas, "But of course I was wrong. You always seem to dodge trouble just barely by luck."

"Luck? You call that luck?"

"Well let's be honest. You're not that good at handling a sword. In fact you are terrible."

"Yes I'm terrible enough to beat Silos, the best swordsman in this city."

"Oh come on. He's getting to be ancient. The man is old, anyone could beat him."

"Right I bet that even you could get him to yield."

"And what's that supposed to mean? You think I can't duel? I'm ten times better than _you_ are."

"Right," scoffed Matthias.

"Seriously. I mean have you looked at how bad your foot work is? And your sword handling is sloppy as a cow's..."

As Thomas kept on flaunting about himself, Matthias' gaze left his cousin and drifted off to the side of the dirt road. His eyes claimed a girl. An extremely beautiful girl who was working in a garden, picking vegetables from plants and placing them into a weaved basket that was being balanced on her shoulder. Her hair was long and blonde and her eyes where a mixture of blue and green, the prettiest that he had ever seen. She had the body of an angel. He was entranced by her radiance.

"And who are you to say that... Hey!... Matthias. Are you even listening to me?" Thomas waved his hand in front of Matthias' face to get his attention, but Matthias was still entranced. Thomas Clapped his hands really loudly, "MATTHIAS!!"

"WHAT!? Oh sorry Thomas."

"What are you looking at?"

"Her. Who is that girl?"

"Who?" Thomas turned to look," Who the peasant? I don't know. I've never seen her before. But who cares. As I was saying-"

"She's beautiful," said Matthias, his eyes still hooked on her, "I must know her name."

"Whoa whoa whoa, Mate!" Thomas stretched his arm in front of Matthias blocking him from her path, "No can do. See, _that_ is a peasant. And _you_ are a prince. This disturbs the natural order of things, so... Let's go get some breakfast. Still hungry here."

"But... "

"Come on Romeo. Romeo?... Where do I know that name from...?" Thomas dragged Matthias to the Great Hall holding his arm to keep him from running back to her. They walked through the great doors and made their way to the table which momentarily was occupied by The King, Queen, Myrtle, and Thomas' parents. "Mother, Father, hello," Thomas said seeming a bit surprised.

"Thomas darling, and Matthias, Good morning," said Thomas' mother.

"Yes," said the King, "Good morning." Thomas and Matthias filled in the two seats across from Myrtle. Thomas placed a napkin in his lap while Matthias stared straight ahead rather blankly. "How was practice this morning?" asked the King. There was somewhat of a silent moment while Matthias kept looking straight ahead with a face filled with ecstasy. His sister caught his stare, and after a minute gave a disgusted look at him, as if he were looking at her.

"Uh.. Practice was good, yeah!" Thomas said filling in for Matthias. He then elbowed Matthias in the rib.

"Hey! Oh, yeah practice was good," Matthias said while reaching for his napkin. He placed it in his lap and began filling his plate with various foods. The King and Queen stared awkwardly at Matthias as if he might be sick, they turned to Thomas who made motions suggesting that Matthias got hit too hard.

"So the blacksmith is teaching you well then. Did you fight with him today?" the Queen asked Matthias in a worried tone.

"Um yeah," Matthias replied and took a bite out of a mutten joint.

"And did he yield to you?" the King asked.

"Yeah," Matthias' attention was still on the girl he had seen. He couldn't really hear the curiousity in the voice of the king and queen. He continued eating what was on his plate while Thomas jumped into conversation with his uncle about how the Kingdom was going. Matthias left the breakfast table earlier than the others with the excuse that he had to go to the lou. He left the Great Hall and followed the dirt road to the garden where he first saw the girl. Matthias found the garden yet again to only to find that the girl had retreated back into her hut-like house. It wasn't a very good looking house, it seemd rather dirty but that wasn't where his attention was focused. Then while he was still gandering at the house he saw the wooden shutter fly open revealed her again. She draped a rug over the window seal and began shaking it off a little bit releasing dust and dirt into the air. The prince was devoting so much attetion to her that he didn't notice the rock that was wedged in the ground. His toe hit the rock and he tripped and fell and the last thing that he saw was a bigger rock plummeting toward his face and then blackness.

Color began flooding his sight again as he regained focus. His head was spinning around a tiny, dim, room that was nothing more than a fireplace a bed and a chair. His eyes looked straight ahead to see the maiden's face that he had seen right before he blacked out. She was dabbing his head very gently with a wet piece of cloth. Her eyes were very heartwarming and nurturing. He felt very awkward being this close to her. He tried to think of something to say to her and started to stammer very nervously. He was tripping over his words.

"Sh," she said softly, "Calm down, My prince."

"Where am I?" Matthias asked even though he already knew where he was.

"You are in my Mistress' house. She is outside in the garden for the moment. You fell on the road and hit your head on a rock. I saw you fall, so I decided to bring you in. You had a big bump on your head a while ago but this cold rag has helped with the swelling." He felt a little embarassed to know that she watched him fall. ' _Must have been attractice... _' he thought too himself. ' _Clutz._ '

"Thank you. That was very kind of you to have aided me. What is your name, Milady?"

" My name is Illiana," she said.

" Illiana?" ' _What a beautiful name_ ' he thought. Without warning a very old woman opened the creaky wooden door and walked in. She was very small with a back that was hunched over. She had white hair and mysterious black eyes.

"They are on their way to escort you back to the great hall," the woman said in a very quiet tone. Her voice was raspy, no doubt due to her age. She had to be in her eighties. " I believe that I will just wait outside for them." The elderly woman smiled at Illiana and left the room again closing the door slowly behind her. Illiana's gaze followed her out the door, then she turned back to Matthias who was already looking at her.

"Uh - you are very - um.. er- pretty heh," Matthias said. He sighed. ' _Very smooth, genius. Pretty? That's it? Man you need to practice wooing. _'

"Thank you," she said kind of sheepishly.

"Beautiful. I - I meant Beautiful." She smiled at him and looked into his eyes, and he looked into hers.

"Thank you, My Prince," she said.

"Um, tomorrow, will you be working for your Mistress as well?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that I might black out outside again." ' _Wow that was cheesy. _'

Illiana smiled and said, " Maybe I'll see you in the garden." They continued to stare into eachother's eyes, feeling a connection that neither of them had ever felt before. There was a knock on the door right before it swung open a group of four citadel guards, decorated in bright shining armor stood in the entrance of the small hut.

"Step aside, out of the way tiny," Thomas said pushing his way through the oversized guards in order to see Matthias. "Prince Matthias. We've been looking everywhere for you. Thought you had been kidnapped. Good heavens man, scare me to death. That was the longest bathroom break in european history. And we do have a lou in the halls you didn't need to come all the way down here." Thomas walked over to the bed at which Matthias was lying and pulled him up by his arm, "Thank you, miss for your hospitality, but the prince needs to be getting back to his tower now. Time to go beddy bye. Come on you have a room of your own, no need to stay in this one any longer." Thomas shut the creaky door behind him after pushing Matthias through it. But Matthias' eyes never left Illiana. He thought of her all that night as he lie in his king-sized bed. Matthias finally realized what he had been missing for so long: Love. He had never seen such beauty and grace in a girl before. Especially a peasant. But he wasn't one to discriminate. He never really sought for a difference between he and his people. But he did wonder why he had never seen her before. He had lived in that kingdom all of his life and never even noticed her. He was a bit angry at Thomas for being such a jerk to the two women. But Thomas, like Matthias' father, had always been ones to uphold their places of royalty by avoiding familiarity with peasants and such. Matthias wondered what she might be doing at the very moment. Sure it might seem a bit silly that they just met, but there was just something about her that drew her too him.

The next morning Matthias snuck out of the Great halls again to take a walk by the garden that Illiana said she would meet him in. He walked down the dirt road with a gleam of happiness, having that sense of ecstasy in him yet again. It was still quite early, the roosters in the barn had just begun to crow, and the sun was slowly making its way up into the sky. The dew still lay on the grass, undisturbed all night, except for one patch of footprints that seemed to lead too and from the hut. But Matthias didn't really take note of it. He walked up to the gate that blocked off the hut from the road. He reached the little swinging door of the gate before the door to the hut opened up. Illiana stepped out with a piece of cloth cloaked around her shoulders to keep her warm.

"You are late, your highness," she said making her way down the narrow path of the garden to the gate.

"My apologies, milady. I am glad that you are up this early, I was wanting to show you something." Matthias took her hand and they started walking across the Citadel toward the outerwall.

"What is it that you were wanting to show me," she asked in a kind of worried tone.

"Something that I have never shown anyone before." Illiana looked at Matthias rather oddly. "I mean... It's a place that I go sometimes when i just want to relax and think too myself for a while." They reached the outerwall at the same place that Matthias had been before. He reached out and pressed in the five different bricks that opened the sealed wall which led outside. He kept his hand in hers as he pulled her through the secret door, she looked bewildered by the wall. He turned around and closed it back, and then they continued on into the forest. They stepped over leaves and twigs, and he led her around different bushes. " It's just around this tree here." Matthias held back a tree limb to reveal the beautiful waterfall which he had visited many times before.

"It's beautiful," she said as her eyes glistened like the crystal clear ripples in the pond.

"Isn't it? I found it when I was 9 years old. And I have come here ever since. Sometimes to hunt, sometimes to explore or get a drink. Or even go for a swim."

"Swim?" Illiana asked.

"Yes. It is so refreshing after a long day. The mist of the falls is so relaxing that it makes you want to go to sleep on the water." Without warning Illiana jumped in soaking Matthias with the pond water. He looked at her for a second and then he laughed and dove in next to her. She screamed as his splash overwhelmed her dunking her into the water. She came up with her hair in her face and he couldn't help but laugh. She splashed him and he splashed her back. He went under the water and grabbed her by her waist and pulled her under. The water was so clear and blue that they could see the fishes swim by them as he pulled her in close. They resurfaced again face to face. Illiana began backing into the misty falls and Matthias followed her. They stopped right were the falls met the pond. "I have never met a girl like you."

"Well I can't honestly say that I have met alot of princes... My prince."

"Matthias," He said, "Just call me Matthias."

"Matthias," She said with a hint of softness in her voice.

"Even the way that you say my name is beautiful," he said gazing into her eyes. They came in closer to eachother until there lips met, and he kissed her there under the protection of the falls. He had never experienced anything sweeter than this moment. His eyes closed and his world spun and he could feel heaven's presence among him. Matthias and Illiana spent the rest of the morning walking, and drying off. They picked some berries not too far from the hidden paradise. The more time that they spent together the more they began to realize how much they cared for the other. Around noon they decided to head back to the citadel. Matthias led them through the secret wall yet again and then sealed it off behind them. On their walk back to the garden Matthias noticed Illiana looked a little bit upset. He looked at her with curiousity.

"What's wrong?" He asked her. She just continued to look at the dirt as they kept walking. He touched her shoulder very gently and turned her toward him. "What's wrong Illiana?" She looked down rather stiffly and then looked him in the eyes.

"I enjoy being with you alot, Matthias," she said.

"I know, I enjoy being with you too. I've never had a day like today. I want everyday to be like this, with you."

"That's just it," she said nervously, "You are a prince, and I'm nowhere near being a princess. You should be dating girls more suited to your class."

" I don't care about class, or royalty. I don't give a damn about it if it means I can't be with you. I've never met anyone like you before and I'm not going to stop seeing you. I'd love to see you tomorrow if you would still like to see me. Would you? Please?"

"I would love to," she said as they reached the garden's gate, "Until we meet again."

"I will be counting the seconds, milady." They gazed at eachother one last time as she walked up to the door of her mistress'. She very discreatly blew him a kiss and smiled. "Until we meet again," he whispered under his breath. From off in the distance just down the street leaning against a tree trunk stood Thomas twiddling a stick in between his fingers staring angrily at Matthias from a distance who had begun to walk toward the great hall.

"Don't give a damn, do you?" said Thomas," Well... Damn you." Thomas gripped the stick in both of his hands and snapped it into two pieces.

**This is the end of chapter 2. Let me know what you think of it so far and if anyone wants me to keep posting.**


	3. Chapter 3

As Matthias continued walking down the dirt road he ran into Silos, who had a little bit of a curious look on his face. Matthias jumped at the sight of his teacher and fell speechless and felt a little uncomfortable.

"Silos... what are you doing up here?"

"I should ask you the same question. You weren't at training this morning and I was afraid something might have been wrong. So I came up to check on you. But you seem to be fine. What was the reason for your absense?" Silos asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh- I was just feeling a little under the weather this morning so I decided to sleep in for a little bit. I'm sorry that I didn't send word to you."

"Yes, Thomas didn't seem to know where you were either. He said he hadn't heard from you all morning. He and I practiced this morning instead. But you seem to have made a full recovery from your 'sickness' so I expect to see you bright and early as usual. And dont worry I'm sure that you will have plenty of time to take the city girls out on a walk afterwards." Matthias looked a little awestruck for a minute wondering how the heck Silos knew where he had been all morning. He didn't say anything but looked at Silos as he was walking away who before he slowly turned smiled at him and then gave him a secret wink. Needless to say Matthias felt a bit concerned after his encounter with Silos. He was a bit nervous now on re-entering the halls. He didn't really say too much too anyone the rest of the day. He noticed a time or two where Thomas was sending him what seemed like glares across the table at dinner. But he decided to call it an early day and went to bed earlier than usual. He put on his nightly wardrobe which included just a white gown-like shirt which was threaded at the chest and a pair of slippers. He walked into his room which resided in one of the two towers above the great halls, the other belongind to his parents. He placed his hand behind the only lit candle in his room which was on his nightstand and blew out the flame sending the whole room into darkness aside from the pale moonlight streaming into the window. His window, as usual, was open, for he was one who always enjoyed looking up at the night sky. Although when Matthias looked out of his window he heard something on the other side scratching at the brick. He stood a few feet from it and stared at his window seal, and then he heard it again. He very slowly approached the window, not knowing what was making the scratching noise from the opposite side. He stopped as he reached the window and before he knew it an animal jumped onto his window seal scaring him half to death. It was the chipmunk, the one that he had saved a day ago. It was breathing rather hard from the long climb up the tower. Matthias looked at him then laughed.

"I mistook you for a threat my friend. I thought you might have been a thief. How did you find me up here?" He asked the chipmunk as it stared briskly at him. It's little ear twitched and it sat back down on its front legs. He smiled at it, "You know you aren't supposed to be up in here. But don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but you must stay hidden and discreat. Is that a deal?" He said taking another look at the chipmunk. It's ear twitched yet again at the question it was asked, "Ok," Matthias said again and he walked over too the window. He caught a glimpse of what was outside. He looked out over the city with the chipmunk sitting next to him. Out of nowhere Matthias heard a scream in the dead of night and saw a shadow running down the dirt road. He could hear the sound of guards yelling amongst themselves. Matthias then noticed that the place the shadow had left was Illiana's garden.

"ILLIANA!" He yelled and then hurriedly dressed himself. He looked down out of his window to survey his surroundings. Without thinking twice about it he lept from his window to the roof of the Halls. He landed on the rough tiles shattering a few of them sending them plummetting down the side of the building. He slid down the slanted roof and grasped onto the edge of one of the columns. He wrapped his arms around the column and slid down to the bottom of the stairs. He landed right in front of the entrance to the Great Halls and then proceeded to run in the direction of the thief. He first ran down the road to Illiana's garden. A number of citadel guards lay on the ground, with their throats slit and the old woman and Illiana had gone missing. With dead rage at the sight Matthias darted after the shadow of a thief. The thief came back into sight as Matthias began to catch up with him. He was heading for the white stone wall but Matthias was dead on his heels.

"STOP! MURDERER!" Matthias yelled without slowing down. The thief reached the secret door hidden in the wall and pressed in the five bricks. The door slowly began to slide open to reveal the forest, and without patience the thief waited for just enough space to slide his narrow body through. The door began to shut behind him and he continued running into the woods. Matthias just barely alid through the tiny crack in the door. Now they were alone, one with a bloodthirst of capturing the other. The thief turned his head back to see the distance between he and his predator. Whilst turning back around his head smashed into a tree limb that had been hanging there, and sent him hurling to the grassy floor. He limpered back up and jogged past the tree and jumped into the pond of which Matthias and Illiana had swam in ealrier that day. Matthias jumped in after him and caught him by the back of his shirt. He pulled the thief backward off balance taking him under the water. He pulled him up to his feet by his shirt.

"WHERE IS SHE?" Matthias demanded pulling the thief up to his face by his shirt. "WHERE IS SHE?" Matthias reached up and pulled the black hooded mask off of the thiefs head letting down long blonde hair and revealing two beautiful blue eyes. "Illiana?!" He stared blankly at her not believing his eyes. "What's going on?! Are you ok? What happened? Where is your mistress?" She looked like she was about to burst into tears. He picked her up out of the pond and carried her onto the soft grass and laid her down. He held her head up to him. She looked into his eyes.

"They've taken her," Illiana whispered softly, " The guards, in the middle of the night, came from nowhere and burst into her house. They took her too the dungeon and then sought off after me."

"What? Why?!" Matthias asked her with all sympathy.

" I came back trying to find her, but - "

"You came back? Back from where?" Matthias asked. She looked at him for a minute and tried to sit up. She managed to get eye level with him. She sighed very deeply and tried not to cry.

"I'm sorry," she cried. Before she could say anything else an ambush happened they were surrounded by men who were all dressed in black to hide their faces. Before he could react Matthias had a sack thrown around his head and tied to keep him from being able to see, then his arms and legs were binded together. He fell to the ground and squirmed trying to free himself of the ropes.

"ILLIANA!" He cried before recieving a serious blow to the head.

He awoke several hours later dazed and confused, his head hurting from having been cracked against twice now. He was sitting somewhere on a hard cold surface, and he could here muffled voices around him.

"I'm sorry miss.."

"Release him now!"

"NO! He's one of them! I say we put a stop to it now!" Lots of other voices upraised this comment. Matthias could hear footsteps approaching him and he felt a cold chill go up his back not knowing who it was and what they might be getting ready to do, as the footsteps got closer he heard the blade of a sword unsheath. The black sack that had been hiding his face was ripped off of his head and thrown across the room. He saw a very dirty man standing in front of him with a sword and a dirty grin, obviously: not a good combination. He raised his sword high above Matthias' head. Matthias closed his eyes and waited for the impact of the blade but her a clash of steel right above his hairline. He opened one eye to see Illiana standing next to him. She had apparently blocked the chop to his head with a sword of her own.

"I said to release him," threatened Illiana.

"Well we can't now, he has seen us," said the man with his sword hovering above Matthias' head, "He might go and tell his daddy on us. And then you know what that would mean for us? AN AMBUSH!" The man glared at Matthias with a passion to spill his blood. He stepped back angrily and replaced his sword in it's holder. Illiana put away her sword as well and turned to Matthias. He was sitting on a cold hard floor surrounded by a bunch of men and woman who looked very angry at him. He could tell that they weren't the highest of class but that wasn't really what was worrying him right now. Illiana stared at him with a sorrowful look. She went up behind him and cut the ropes that bound his hands and feet. He grabbed his wrists, for they were red and swore from the ropes rough texture rubbing into his skin. He stood up and looked around at everyone standing above him.

"So what do you suppose we do about this Illiana?" asked the man along with the rest of the outcasts.

"About what? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" Matthias yelled as everyone swore at him.

"As if you wouldn't know you treacherous prick!" a woman yelled at him.

"KNOW WHAT?!" he yelled back. Everyone continued to yell and curse at Matthias.

"AT LEAST LET ME EXPLAIN IT TO HIM!" Illiana yelled to the angry crowd.

"Explain what?!" He said. Illiana looked at him very nervously.

"Listen, Matthias, what I am about to tell you may be hard for you to hear, but it's true," she said very delicately, "Your Father... King Matthew II, is not the king that you know him to be. Long ago when Your father's father, Matthew I still had the throne it was a much better time for us all. King Matthew was a king of equality and gratitude, there were in fact two kingdoms in this citadel. The maliathans and of course the ginians. It was a city of brotherhood, but your father always kept his distance from the maliathans. He was always a man of domintation in class. To him we were just a bunch of thieves, and gypsies and low-lives, he didn't look at us like your grandfather did. So that is why, after King Matthiew's death, your father took the throne and banished all of the Maliathans from the citadel and slaughtered any that remained. It is believed that your father hired an assassin to murder the Maliathan king. We, ourselves, were forced into the woods, and our lifestyles have turned... well to less than satisfactory in order to survive."

"AND THAT IS WHY WE LIVE LIKE DOGS! BECAUSE OF YOUR FATHER, THE KING!" yelled the nasty looking man.

"HOLD YOUR TONGUE ICTHUS!" Illiana yelled back at the man. She looked at Matthias who stared at her in disbelief, "I'm sorry that I lied to you Matthias. I never did actually live in the citadel. My parents were both Maliathan, they both died during the banishment of our people... i've been orphaned for 17 years. I began to work for a lady, by the name of Mithral, who lived inside the citadel when i was 6 years old. She was also a maliathan, but she was too old to live out here. So she stayed in the citadel secretly. Most people believed that we were all dead, but as you can see, alot of us have survived. I worked for the lady all this time, helping her around the garden. But someone somehow found out that she was a maliathan. That is why they came to her house tonight. The citadel guards took her too the dungeon. And that's where she is now. After that the guards sent for me, but i fought my way out of them, and that's when you caught me. I'm sorry that I didn't say anything to begin with, I was just a little afraid to. You are the heir to the ginian throne. I didn't know where your views lied. But after we met, I began to realize that I can trust you. I would understand if you never wanted to see me again... But I wasn't pretending when I was with you..."

Matthias stood there speachless, dumbstruck at the words that he just heard. He wasn't sure if he believed it or not. He trusted Illiana, but this was so much to bare all at once. Would his father really go all these years without breathing a word of this to him? He was the prince.

"I need to be alone," Matthias said.

"I understand," Illiana said as a tear rolled down her cheek. She didn't say anything else to him. Illiana figured he was mad enough at her. Instead she ran to the two big double doors of the gothic room and burst through them in tears. Matthias slowly made his way toward the doors feeling the weight of the maliathan's judgemental stares. He could hear their whispers as h pushed open the doors and walked outside. His head was spinning and his eyes hurt, his legs were wobbling and he felt off balance. He looked into the trees for some sort of answer and then he darted off into the woods flying past the trees and limbs surrounding him. He kept going and going and running until he felt sick. He reached a bush that looked somewhat familiar. He took a step around it and saw his the hidden pond. He stared at it for a minute. Then Matthias very slowly walked over too the water. He fell too his knees and leaned his body over the pond. Matthias saw the reflection of himself staring back at him. He glared at the face in the ripples of the pond water and smacked the water where he had seen his self, splashing water in every direction. His face fell into his hands and he wept. All of his life, he never knew. He didn't know what to think. He felt like all the responsiblity was his for never having said or done anything. He continued to cry...

"**WHY**!!" He shouted at the forest through tears as his face turned red. He didn't know what to do. He was the heir to a murderer; a liar. And it was his father. He bagan to wonder who else knew and didn't say anything. Was everyone lying to him? Could Illiana be lying to him? He had to be sure.

Matthias approached the front gates of the citadel the next day as the sun was still young and high in the sky. A guard looked down and spotted him.

"IT'S THE PRINCE!" He yelled, "OPEN THE GATES!" The giant rusty doors opened again and he walked through them with tears still in his eyes. He had been missing for a day now and this brought attention to the villagers as he walked in. Everyone whispered as he continued down the dirt road.

Silos saw him and ran up to him in a nervous sweat. "Prince Matthias are you alright?!" Matthias did not answer or look at him. Instead he just kept walking looking straight ahead. He reached the steps of the Great Hall while and he could still here people whispering. He took a step and then stopped. He wasn't really sure if he wanted to know the truth of his Father's actions. He breathed in deep and proceeded to walk up the steps. Inside the halls the king and queen sat in there thrones whilst his father talked to Thomas' father. The king looked up at his son who had just walked up too him with tear filled eyes.

"Where have you been?!" His father said with more anger in his voice than he had concern. His mother ran up to him and threw her arms around him.

"We were so worried!" She said while holding her son very tightly.

"Maliathans..." Matthias stared at his father. His father looked at him blankly not realizing for a minute what his son was talking about. Then his eyes grew blank and he looked like he had just been shot. "So it's true then?" Matthias said as a tear rolled down his cheek. He looked down very ashamed. He backed away as his mother's embrace eased and he looked up at his parents. His mother began trying to explain.

"Matthias -"

"Father, how could you do something this horrible? How could you forsake so many lives just for your own selfish reasons?!"  
"SELFISH! THOSE PEOPLE WERE A DISGRACE TO THIS KINGDOM! THE ONLY THING THAT THAT SCUM DID FOR US WAS INFECT US ALL WITH IT'S DISGUSTING VIRUSES! I SAW FIT TO DO WHAT WAS BEST FOR MY PEOPLE! AND I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IF THE OCCASSION EVER CALLED FOR IT! WHO TOLD YOU OF THIS?!"  
"SOMEONE WHO OBVIOUSLY CARES MORE ABOUT ME THAN YOU EVER DID! AND THOSE PEOPLE AREN'T THE SCUM IN THIS KINGDOM, IT'S YOU, FATHER! AND I'LL BE A DAMNED FOOL IF I ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE ANY FURTHER! MARK MY WORDS, ONE DAY YOU WILL MEET YOUR FATE, AND NOT ONLY BY MY HANDS BUT BY EVERY HAND THAT YOU SAW FIT TO BANISH! TRUST ME FATHER, THE OCCASSION WILL CALL FOR IT!" And with that Matthias turned and stormed away out of the doors and down the dirt road never to return until the time called to avenge all of the innocent lives that were once lost.

**Well that's the end of chapter 3. Let me know what you think of the end part there. I'd kind of like a second opinion. Does it sound ok? Reviews and comments please :D**


	4. Chapter 4

Matthias made his way back out of the citadel as the great gates closed behind him. From on top of the battlements stood Thomas standing next to a guard. He watched slowly retreat back into the forest.

"Follow him," He said to the guard. The guard nodded and walked off.

The sun was beginning to set again after another very long day. Matthias was making his way through the woods as the darkness overwhelmed the forest. It was getting late, and he had no idea how to get back to the secret hideout of the Maliathans. He wanted to return to them and not only apologize, but join them on their attempt to stop the evil king. The bushes all seemed so unfamiliar and strange, and especially in the dark, he couldn't make out anything. But he knew that being in the woods, especially alone, and at night, wasn't good. He just kept walking straight in hopes that something wood look familiar. He heard a snap behind him and he stopped to turn around and see what made the sound, but there was nothing there. He stared behind him for a moment and then decided it was nothing and continued to walk forward. But as he turned his back he could hear shouts and orders being yelled in the distance. It was the guards. He turned again and could see at least 15 of them which had come to retrieve him. He took off into the woods as fast as his legs would take him the guards had spotted him.

"GET HIM BACK HERE!" a guard whom Matthias assumed was the general yelled. But he wasnt really concerned with who they were for he knew why they had come. Matthias was doing pretty well at outrunning them until he saw an arrow split into a tree right infront of him. This made him panic just a tad. Arrows starting flying by him left and right, luckily he was under the protection of the trees in the forest. He looked up at the trees and he saw something like a shadow dashing through them, it was moving in the opposing direction of himself and he turned back to take a look at where it was going. It swung right above one of the guards who had just shot an arrow at Matthias and it slit into his chest without stopping. The guard screamed and fell to the ground. The other guards turned around to see what had happened to their fallen firend.

"THE TREES! LOOK TOO THE TREES!" the general yelled as he too spotted the shadow. Matthias stopped running for a moment in order to see what was happening. Another guard cried out in agony as he fell to the ground with blood trickling down his chest. Matthias realized, ' _Illiana _' he thought too himself. He knew had recognized that shadowy figure before. Matthias ran back toward the guards and pulled out his sword. He saw several more shadows fly by over his head. He raised his sword as he reached the open part of the forest. A guard turned his head as he heard Matthias approach but wasn't quick enough to react to Matthias' blade. He cut the guard down which brought attention too the rest of them. The remaining 12 ran toward him with orders to kill. The first chopped down at Matthias who blocked it with his own sword above his head and then sliced a horizontal cut into the guards ribs. The rest of them proceeded forward to attempt to kill Matthias who held them all off as the shadowy figures above them continued to slaughter their prey below. They started to drop like flies left and right, not standing a chance in the unfamiliar environment of the woods.

"RETREAT TO THE CITADEL!" Yelled a guard. They all ran back through the woods as fast as they could to get away from the onslaughter of the maliathans. The Maliathans however weren't satisfied enough. They followed the men as they ran for their lives. Matthias stayed behind and watched as the desperate attempts that the men made to escape were made pointless. All of the men that remained standing were cut down; all but one. One survived long enough to make it out of the woods and back to the citadel. Matthias stared ahead with a blank expression. He had had such a long day. One of the masked maliathans landed in front of him making him jump. Illiana removed her mask and revealed her face to Matthias once again. He looked at her, feeling disappointed in himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, " You were right... you were right." He looked down in shame of what he was. She reached her hand out and touched his face and lifted his chin up to make his eyes equal to hers.

"I'm glad you came back,"she said and he reached up to grab her hand that was touching him. He held it in his and looked back at her.

"So am I."

The other Maliathans landed next to Matthias and Illiana and the first to unmask himself was Icthus. He glared at Matthias and resheathed his sword.

"So, where do you stand... Ginian?" Icthus asked in a threatening way with his fingers just barely touching the handle of his sword.

" I've returned after realizing a great truth from my father. And for what it's worth I am sorry for what happened to you and your people. But I intend to help you, I want to do what's right."

"You honestly think that we need your help? We don't need you, and damn your pity."

Matthias just stared at Icthus. "You know it seems like no matter what I do you will be unhappy with me, I can't take back what has happened. But we can change what will happen if we work together."

"Did you not hear me Ginian? I said you don't belong here. So why don't you run back to your to your little kingdom, prince."

"Maybe I don't want to go back. I have found what I've been looking for and it's right here," Matthias said and looked at Illiana. He took her by the hand and started to pull her close but Icthus' sword smacked his hand and quickly raised too Matthias' throat.

"You think that you can just come here and become one of us," Icthus said.

"ICTHUS STOP IT!" Illiana yelled.

"Tell you what, Prince. You can become one of us. But first, you must challenge me in a duel."

Matthias glared at him unmercifully, " So be it."

The group of maliathans that had fought off the Ginian guards now made their way back to their secret hideout in the forest. It was a fortress that had been sown together by the twisted trees of the forest. It was deep into the woods, which was what kept it's identity safe from it's surrounding enemies. A legion of Maliathans awaited anyone who entered. They were a dying people, but so many rested inside the fortress. Matthias entered with the gang that he encountered in the woods. The sky was still black in the dead of night. Not a soul remained out in the open of the woods. They all had their huts and homes inside the trees and hills. It was a rather odd thing to see for Matthias. It was like a whole different world that he just walked into. Matthias was happy to be close to Illiana again. He couldn't ignore the captive feeling that he kept getting from the rest of the maliathans though: Icthus especially. They all stopped when they reached the center of the fortress. All of the maliathans turned to look at Matthias as Icthus approached slowly.

"Tomorrow at dawn you will meet me in this exact spot, and you will be ready to fight," Icthus hissed as he turned away from everyone. He walked to a tree and reached his hand out to push on the trunk. The trunk collapsed inward revealing a door to a hidden room. Icthus slammed the door behind him, and everyone who was watching walked off as well. Everyone but Matthias and Illiana. All of the maliathans went inside for the night. Illiana walked up too Matthias who was looking towards Icthus' tree-like hut.

"I'm sorry about him," she said, "He has always been against, well... your kind. You see he not only lost his home when he left the citadel, he lost his wife and two children, and he takes it out on any Ginian that he meets."

"Yea I noticed," Matthias said, " Maybe I can change his mind about some ginians."

"Please be careful tomorrow Matthias. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm better with a sword than you think."

"It's not just a sword that you will need to win this duel, Matthias. We maliathans study a form of fighting that involves stealth and very swift movements. It's called ninjitsu. Ever since we obtained into our group a shinobi warrior by the name of Daisuke Togakure, he has tought us everything that he knows about this martial art. This is how we fight is by stealth, endurance, persevereance, and secretness."

"...Well... it was a bit odd to see you flying through the trees in the forest like that. I've never seen anything like that before in my life. You must have incredible balance." Illiana kind of blushed at the hint of the compliment, "Can you teach me anything?"

"Yes," She said they spent half of the night training going over the basics of ninjitsu, going over steps and stances. Illiana taught him how to flourish a sword 'properly.' She not only taught him how to use a sword but how to fend with his hands and feet.

"This seems a bit odd. Using your feet like this. Does it really work?" Matthias asked. Illiana looked at him.

"Punch me," she said.

"I'm not going to hit you. I am a prince I would never strike a woman. Especially you -"

"Just punch at me!" she demanded. Matthias threw her a punch rather weakly trying to avoid actually hitting her, but she showed no remorse in deflecting his punch. She reached up under his arm with hers and grabbed him around the neck. She then pushed his shoulders off balance while sweeping his legs out from under him. Matthias hit the ground quicker than a sack of rocks with Illiana still on top of him holding his arm against his chest keeping him from moving. She threw a punch at his head and stopped right before impact. Matthias just kind of looked a little bit in awe that not only was this girl beautiful, but she had... well... some damn good moves. She let loose her grip on his arm and knelt down close too him. " Yes, it works," she said with a smile.

"I see that. But what would you do if..." Matthias grabbed her around the waist and pulled her too the ground. They fought to remain on top as they rolled down a small grassy hill. Illiana landed on Matthias and they stopped.

"Ha!" she said with a flirtacious smile. He smiled back at her and then he ran his fingers through her long blonde hair. Her cheek fell into his hand as it touched her skin, and then she looked him in his eyes. Matthias pulled Illiana into him and kissed her. They lay there holding eachother close, beneath the trees of the forest. He continued kissing her pouring all of his passion through his lips into hers. When their lips seperated he hugged her close and she put her head in his chest. She could hear his heart beating rather fast, due too the fact that he was with her. He continued to stroke her hair with his hand, and then he kissed the top of her forehead.

"You need to get some rest, my prince," she said too him without lifting her head.

"I know," he said, "Just let me hold you a little longer." The two of them laid there the rest of the night. They drifted off into a peaceful sleep with eachother under the bright-shining light of the pale moon.


End file.
